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By Sergio Tito Lopez

Chairman, Brownsville Navigation District

2020 proved to be an extremely difficult year for many people.

Last year we saw the rise of a global pandemic that devasted economies and tossed everyday lives into turmoil. Simple tasks like going to school, going out with friends, going to a doctor’s appointment, or just going to the store became increasingly difficult, if not sometimes impossible. On behalf of the entire Commission and staff of the Port of Brownsville, we continue to extend our hearts, prayers, and a helping hand to our community and those still reeling from the pandemic’s long reach.

Throughout 2020, however, the port never lost sight of our responsibility in serving as a global gateway for commerce and a critically important economic engine and job creator for our community. Port staff promptly made a range of changes to adapt to the pand

Port of Brownsville Director and CEO Eduardo A. Campirano was a guest on KURV’s radio show “The Valley’s Morning News” with Sergio Sanchez and Tim Sullivan on March. 4.

Campirano discussed the port’s economic impact to the state, European vessels to be recycled in Brownsville, and other important topics.

Listen here https://soundcloud.com/kurv-710/port-of-brownsville-director-ed-campirano-port-of-brownsville-update.

International Shipbreaking, part of the world-leading recycler EMR Metal Recycling, has gained EU Ship Recycling Regulation (EU SSR) accreditation for its site at the Port of Brownsville after investing $30 million in compliant infrastructure.

The Brownsville site is the first U.S. shipbreaking site to achieve this accreditation. It can now help EU-based ship owners – as well as ships flying the flags of EU member states – to responsibly recycle their ships at end of life.

The regulations set standards for environmental and health and safety compliance which go above and beyond stringent US regulatory requirements. The International Shipbreaking facility meets EU requirements that ships are completely recycled on hard surfaces to avoid pollutants such as chemicals from paints contaminating the soil and water.

“We have just received and safely moored our first EU ship recyc

GALVESTON, TX (March 1, 2021) – The Texas Ports Association (TPA) honored Col. Timothy R. Vail, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Galveston District Commander, as its 2021 Port Person of the Year at the USACE, Galveston District (SWG) Virtual Winter 2021 Stakeholder Partnering Forum.

Each year, TPA honors individuals for their work and support of Texas Ports.  TPA President, Phyllis Saathoff, presented Col. Vail with the award in a surprise ceremony.

“The Galveston District is the most important district to our nation because of the economic vitality and activity generated by Texas Ports,” Saathoff said.  “Under Col. Vail’s leadership, Texas Ports have seen enhanced collaboration which has resulted in federal funding for much-needed ship channel improvement projects, consistent maintenance of our nation’s waterways, and resiliency for our channels

The Brownsville & Rio Grande International Railway (BRG) ended 2020 riding an all-time high with 51,115 loaded railcars handled at the Port of Brownsville throughout the year.

This marks a 24 percent increase from the 41,207 railcar movements recorded in 2019, a considerable upward trend highlighted by growing movements of steel, wind energy components, grain and petroleum-based products.

Norma Torres, BRG president & COO, said the company is likely to continue handling a high volume of loaded railcars in 2021.

“We’ve hired additional staff in the transportation department and added three new management positions since October 2020,” said Torres. “We expect this year to exceed the numbers in the past and will hire more staff in the future.”

Formed in 1984 by the Brownsville Navigation District, the BRG provides consistent, safe and reliable service to Port o

BY STEVE CLARK / The Brownsville Herald

Article published Thursday, January 28, 2021

A persistent shortage of truck drivers in the United States has helped pry open a window of opportunity for the Port of Brownsville in the form of container-on barge shipping.

The port has tried it before, more than a decade ago with a Florida company called Seabridge Freight Inc., which operated a tug barge line between Brownsville and Port Manatee, Fla., though in the end it didn’t work out. This time around, it’s a different story. Work Cat Trans Gulf LLC, also based in Florida, has been running a weekly short-sea shipping operation between Brownsville and Port Tampa Bay since mid-August consisting entirely of 53-foot shipping containers.

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RICHMOND, Va., Dec. 16, 2020  — Dominion Energy announced it has reached a major milestone – the keel laying – in the construction of the first Jones Act compliant offshore wind turbine installation vessel, currently being constructed by the global marine shipbuilding firm Keppel AmFELS at its Brownsville, Texas shipyard. With several gigawatts of offshore wind capacity to be installed along the U.S. East Coast in the next decade, access to Jones Act compliant offshore wind turbine installation vessels is of strategic importance to the U.S. offshore wind market.

The companies celebrated the keel laying on Dec. 16 when fabrications from the first steel, supplied domestically, were laid to form the first part of the keel – the bottom-most central steel structural

Houston, Texas, Dec. 17, 2020 — Texas LNG Brownsville LLC has entered into a long-term lease agreement with the Port of Brownsville, successfully securing the Texas LNG export project site for up to 50 years. The lease agreement is an important milestone bringing the FERC permitted project closer to a final investment decision (FID), while also confirming to liquefied natural gas buyers that Texas LNG is well-positioned to support the continued growth of the LNG market.

The lease agreement covers a 625-acre site located within the Port of Brownsville. Texas LNG plans to construct and operate a 4 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) LNG export terminal on a deepwater frontage site previously secured under an exclusive option to the Lease agreement.

Vivek Chandra, Founder and CEO of Texas LNG LLC (a minority owner of the Texas

BY STEVE CLARK/ The Brownsville Herald
Article published Sunday,  January  3, 2021

Port of Brownsville officials have reasons to look back on 2020 with fondness despite the difficulties posed by the pandemic. The port started off the year by announcing its Foreign Trade Zone’s rank among the top three in the nation for value of exports according to the U.S. FTZ Board annual report to Congress based on figures from 2018. Then in May, officials were able to announce a record-setting $8.9 billion in combined imports and exports for 2019 within its FTZ No. 62.

The total value of export shipments through the FTZ hit $4.3 billion in 2019, up from $3.8 billion the year before. The port also saw $4.6 billion in imports, the highest in the FTZ’s 40-year history. The numbers were driven mainly by petroleum products, shipbuilding equipment, steel aluminum and wind-energy pr

The USS Stephen W. Groves has completed her final journey to International Shipbreaking Ltd.’s  facility at the Port of Brownsville where she will be recycled. Her arrival marks the sixth U.S. Navy vessel contract awarded ISL this year.

 The USS Stephen W. Groves was moored at the former Philadelphia Naval Shipyard since having been decommissioned in 2012. She made her final journey to ISL’s facility where she arrived Nov. 19.

Armed with one MK 75 76mm/62 caliber firing gun, MK 32 ASW torpedo tubes (two triple mounts) and one Phalanx CIWS for anti-submarine warfare, she boasted 1-MK 13 Mod 4 launcher, 4-SSM McDonnell-Douglas Harpoon missiles and 36-GDC-Pomona Standard SM-1MR missiles. The guided missile frigate also had 1 OTO Melara MK 75 3″/62 cal., 1 Vulcan Phalanx CIS and 4-.50 cal. MGs guns.

During her 30-year career, USS Stephen